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According to resources the Inka/Inca and the people before and after them in Peru would let potatoes freeze and then press out the moisture.
They would then let them dry for later use
It is said they will last indefinitely doing this.
Has anyone tried this?
I'm going to give it a go with two potatoes just to see what happens.
Worth

I've seen this on a couple of documentaries. Apparently, they place the potatoes on the ground and let the very low temperatures, well below freezing, dry the water out of them through the repeated freezing, before stepping on them to remove any final residual moisture. Then they are virtually devoid of any moisture. Some were then dried further for long term storage, while others were used in their soups, etc..

Whatever I'm doing I'm sure it will be a disaster.
Yes chuno.
I froze them for the first time and let them thaw and the water is just running out of them.
Now for the next freezing.
Not too sure I want to step on them either.
Maybe a more sanitary way is in order.
Worth

Right.
looks like I need to do part of this at the river for 30 days if I want white Chuno pronounce chunyo
Maybe I can order some on line.
Better yet go there.
Side note a hoot owl just started hooting sweet.

Well After I decided to stay at home I had another.
The sun has come up and the potatoes have thawed.
I have squeezed out a ton of water and they are turning dark as expected and drying .
Here I am high in the Andes with the lamas.

It seems there is not much information on chuno or its use outside the Andes.

Yesterday I took one small piece and cooked it in a leftover conglom I made.
The outside was all black or very deep purple and the inside was white.
The flavor was as described on the nutty side.

I have never liked frozen potatoes as the texture was way off and disgusting.
These however (presumably) after the squeezing and partial dehydration took on a whole new flavor and the texture was like nothing I have ever had before.
It was very a very concentrated potato nut flavor.
The texture is like a very soft but chewable leather almost mushroom like.
The appearance is what most of western society would call disgusting.
Photo coming soon from my phone.
Here it is.IMG_201410278701.jpg

My next step is I am putting them in the oven on low with the door cracked so they will dehydrate all the way but not cook.

I think it's more a matter of survival than gourmet cooking. Too, they have two varieties, white and black. The whiteness comes from thorough soaking and washing before the final dehydration.

I ended up on youtube yesterday and they have cooking shows in Peru.
It was all in Spanish.
On one of these shows they were using white chuno in a recipe for a rabbet stew.
From the market pictures I see chuno is as important to these people as the pepper is.
The chuno is everywhere they love the stuff.

I have to tell you that little piece of chuno like potato I had yesterday took the potato to a whole new level.
I will also say that it was the best tasting potato I have ever had, that is no joke.

Also what ever the devil it is I am doing I will continue to do and make it a part of my regular diet.
As for the white chuno it is obvious the soaking in the water extracts the starch from the outer part of the potato while not in oxygen.
Without the starch there is no oxidation therefore no black potato.
Easy.

Did you know that at the time the Spanish found the Inca it was the largest empire on earth?

It was made up of several groups of people all over the Andes and they all didn't even speak the same language.

Therefore the Inca wasn't a single people as much as it was a confederation of several societies.
One of the most interesting things about them is their thinking about the garden.
The garden is for everything the people and the animals so they plant enough for all to share.
The garden should always have children in it.
The children bring laughter and will make the garden happy.
No bad thoughts, fights or anger should enter the garden.
This will make the garden unhappy and not produce.
They look at the plants from year to year to see what the season will be like.
Sounds about like what I believe in.